Law, Ethics, & News Literacy

No publication can exist without being guided by journalistic ethics and integrity. Correction: no quality publication can. For this reason, the ethicality of our reporting choices always lives in the background of every discussion we have, whether it is article brainstorming or policy reworking. As a school publication, we also recognize the power in our platform, and with that, what our right to the First Amendment truly entails. It means we are allowed to disagree, to hold administration and town figures accountable, and to express our & other's opinions freely. However, this privilege also means it is our responsibility to be factual and fair, ensuring that all our reporting is properly supported.

Reporting

When reporting on news, town or school, accuracy is vital. Beyond fact-checking, to ensure I am telling a fair story, I make it a goal to reach out to various sources, especially those that disagree with each other. This was especially important when covering the override vote/budget deficit. It was difficult for us as a staff because realistically, we are not just journalists but also students - students whose journalism class, advisor, and quality of education were all threatened by budget cuts (and the potential of a failed override). However, keeping in mind the ultimate role and goal of our publication, we made it our mission to approach the topic with an unbiased lense. We brainstormed article ideas that would give the other side (people who were against the override) a chance to share their perspective, along with making sure to incorporate quotes & opinions from both sides in our news article. Of course, we did take an editorial stance on the vote, but made sure it did not interfere with our other reporting, which I am proud of.

Above all, I've found that our ultimate goal as a publication is to serve the community around us and share our own voices. This is a crucial reason why unbiased, fair, and thorough coverage is a key mission for our publication as a whole.

AI...

With technology evolving at a pace most of us can't even keep up with, journalism is undeniably evolving with it. This can be in simple (and highly beneficial) ways, but it can also be detrimental, particularly in the case of AI. Like most publications, we stand against the use of generative AI, but we do experiment with other journalistic AI tools, such as "murrow.ai."

Over the last two years, as an editor, I have encountered some rare cases of AI usage. There is one instance - the first - that stands out to me. Having done research on ChatGPT for an article I had written last year, I noticed a staff writer's article had a familiar robotic tone to it. And, when I put it through a detector, it was almost entirely confirmed. It was a difficult situation to confront, especially as it was the first case, along with my own peer that I had to address. After noticing this, we also realized in hindsight that one of this staffer's past articles had a similar scent of AI written over it - but, this time, was actually published. This experience has taught me two things. One: it is important to foster an environment where staffers don't feel the need to use AI at all - whether that means guiding them through article writing or being extra approachable when they need help. And two: we, as editors, must be extra vigilant in ensuring the quality of all articles.

Currently, we are working on developing & drafting an official AI policy. With this, we aim to solidify our commitment to ethical journalism & set a clear and articulated standard for all reporters. To the right is an excerpt from a slideshow I created with other editors to facilitate such a discussion.

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Death & Hate Policy

Inspired by a JEA convention workshop, our staff has been working on creating & discussing an official plan of action for instances of death in our school community. In particular, I recall two years ago, when a senior student unfortunately passed away, just a few weeks before graduation. Unsure of how to respond and caught up in creating our print edition, we did not cover this at all, aside from a quick mention in my article about the graduation ceremony. While I am not sure if or how I would change that decision, I do wish we had a clearly outlined policy and precedent to follow to ensure we were making the best decision we could for a greiving community. Similarly, I had covered a charity run, organized in memory of a recent WA alumni who had passed away earlier that year by her sister, a current student. While the event made the angle for the story slightly easier to approach, it was still heartbreaking and had me questioning how to go about interviewing & writing in an ethical way. I hope that by discussing both our policy and approach, our publication will be better able to confront these sensitive situations in the future.

Below is an excerpt I created from a slideshow detailing publication goals & areas of improvements for our policies to facilitate such discussion.